


Fracture

by Shadowslayer1331



Series: Sliders: Reunion [4]
Category: Sliders (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Mystery, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26457274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowslayer1331/pseuds/Shadowslayer1331
Summary: After watching Rembrandt jump into an unstable vortex Quinn finds himself surrounded by his friends. Is this some Kromagg trick? Or did something happen beyond his and his friends comprehension? Takes place after the series final The Seer.
Relationships: Quinn Mallory/Wade Welles
Series: Sliders: Reunion [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823914
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Nothing made sense anymore. How could everything fall apart so quickly? They landed on a world about to be destroyed by a pulsar. On this world filled with death and despair, Quinn watched the professor turn into a miserable excuse of his former self. He was attacked by Rickman and left permanently brain damaged, barely able to speak simple words. Then he was shot, murdered saving the life of the man who stole him from his home. The only good news was that he had found earth prime, but now they had to track down Rickman.

A few worlds later Quinn learned his double, the one who helped him to solve the GUT equation had gone insane with guilt. He was responsible for the Kromagg Dynasty's ability to slide. His world was destroyed and his family lost. Even he wasn't spared a dark fate. But this made no sense. The Kromagg Dynasty Quinn remembered meeting were not just getting on their feet. Even Mary had mentioned being raised by the Kromaggs since her youth. Was it possible this Quinn gave the equation to a parallel non-sliding Kromagg civilization or was he just insane over the loss of his family and world?

Finally, Quinn was able to get Rembrandt and Wade home. The professor in his dying breath asked him to get them home and Quinn had peace knowing he fulfilled that request. He stayed behind with Maggie and Rickman died trying to chase after them. Now all he had to do was make it back to earth prime himself.

The next blow came when Quinn finally made it home. He learned he had not only lost his homeworld to the Kromaggs but also lost Wade. Because of his damned invention, his world was taken. Because of his damned invention, he lost Wade. Sent to a Kromagg breeder camp. Who knows what they did to her there. The things she was forced to do.

It was all his fault. He sent Wade and Rembrandt into this hell. The previous peace he felt at fulfilling the professors' dying wish was shattered. Tarnished as he imagined the horrors Wade felt at this moment.

Reunited with his mother he then learned he wasn't even from earth prime, to begin with. The first good news in a while, he had a brother and parents out there, he would find them and save earth prime.

Until he lost Colin too.

It was all thanks to Dr. Oberon Geiger and his Combine machine. Colin had become unstuck, trapped forever in an endless slide. Quinn himself became trapped in the body of a double, forced to take a backseat and watch helplessly. His memories began to fade, feeling this other version of himself gain more and more control.

They found Wade inside a Kromagg lab, hooked up to electrodes, and trapped inside a high tech sarcophagus. Her forehead was removed, her brain showing for all to see. She was mutilated, being used by the Kromaggs as some kind of computer. Worst of all he was forced to sit back and watch as they left her. He could do nothing, say nothing. He couldn't even say he was sorry.

He was again forced to watch as Rembrandt leapt into an unstable vortex. The Seer died, never revealing if Rembrandt survived the trip. But in his gut he knew, he knew the last of the original sliders team didn't make it.

He had lost them all. He constantly promised to get them all home and he failed. The professor was killed, Wade was mutilated, Rembrandt may not have survived the journey through the unstable vortex, and Quinn himself was trapped in the body of another, losing pieces of himself with time. He lost his world, he lost Colin, he even lost Maggie as his consciousness continued to slip. Even now, near the end he could only watch his mother from inside his double, unable to comfort her or speak to her.

He brought doom to them all. It was his fault, all his fault. His memories continued to fade. He didn't want to forget them. At the very least he could keep them alive in his memory, but even that was being stolen from him. He soon found himself swallowed, suffocating in nothing but his own despair. His memories, his hopes, his friends, all gone. All he had left was the insufferable darkness that weighed upon his shoulders. The waters that pulled him down as he struggled to swim.

With desperation, he reached out to the last bit of light he saw. A speck of light in the pit of unending darkness. He needed to reach it, he needed to escape. He needed to make a difference.

"Mr. Mallory! Are you paying attention?"

"...professor?"

* * *

"...Professor?" Quinn asked, breathless. In front of him stood none other than Maximillian Arturo, book open as he skimmed the pages. The title read The History of the Crimson Order. A quick look around revealed they stood in a hotel room, Wade and Rembrandt standing not too far away, watching the professor with interest.

Arturo regarded Quinn with a hint of annoyance, looking back down to the open book in his hands "Mr. Mallory, would you do me the courtesy of paying attention? As I already said It would seem on this world the many religions we are familiar with, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism...none of them exist. They may have at some point in this world's history, but as of now, they cannot be found in any texts or records. The only religion I can find seems to be this cult that refer to themselves as the Crimson Order"

Quinn heard the words but they didn't register, his mind running in overdrive. The memories he previously struggled to remember coming to the forefront of his mind. This couldn't possibly be happening. They were all dead, he was trapped in his doubles body. How could he suddenly be here, standing before them? He lifted his own hands, staring at them in disbelief. Could it have all been a lie? Some sick Kromagg deception?

"Mr. Mallory?" Arturo looked up from the book once more, his annoyance vanishing and his tone carrying concern.

"No, No you're all dead!" Quinn screamed, pointing a finger at them and stepping back. Their eyes widened in surprise, after a moment they approached him, but he yelled louder.

"Stay back! You're not my professor! You're not my Rembrandt! You're not my Wade!" He backed up against the wall, unable to move back any further. He watched them with clear anger and fear in his eyes.

"Quinn?" Wade asked with a broken voice, reaching out for him. He flinched, causing her to lower her arm.

"We won't hurt you, Mr. Mallory. Please, calm down" Arturo said softly, putting his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Yeah, Q-ball, we're your friends. What's going on man?" Rembrandt asked nervously.

"You're not my friends! You're all dead! This is a lie, some Kromagg trick!" Quinn yelled, voice filled with fury. "If I'm in my own body then I must have never merged with Mallory. Was that whole year a lie?!"

"Kromaggs? What the devil are the Kromaggs?" Arturo asked. He looked to his fellow sliders, the three of them looking to each other in obvious fear.

"We've never come across something called a Kromagg, Q-ball" Rembrandt added.

"Lies!" Quinn replied with a loud growl, "how much of what I'd experienced actually happened? Is Rembrandt really dead? Was Wade really mutilated?! Where are Colin and Maggie?!"

"We aren't Kromaggs, Quinn. Please, what's going on? Who is Colin? Why would Maggie be here?" Wade asked, trying to keep her voice calm. However, it broke a few times, unable to handle seeing Quinn like this.

Ready to explode on them once more Quinn opened his mouth, only to stop as he heard loud beeps coming from within his jacket pocket. He reached inside, pulling out the last thing he expected to see. The original timer, the Motorola MicroTAC Ultra-Lite cellular flip phone model. The numbers seemed to fluctuate for a moment, changing rapidly before going back to normal. 5 Hours 43 Minutes 22 Seconds showing on the display.

"What happened?" Arturo asked, eyeing the timer.

"I don't know," Quinn answered calmly for the first time, staring at the timer intently. "It just went haywire for a moment. But this isn't right, where's the Egyptian timer? Where am I? Why do I have this?"

Before anyone could respond the timer once again began fluctuating, the numbers rapidly rising and falling. Quinn suddenly felt nauseous, a pounding headache overtaking his senses. He fell to his knees, grabbing his head as the timer fell from his grip.

His friends were by his side in an instant. They were saying something Quinn couldn't quite make out. Everything began to spin, blood leaking from his nose. Unable to handle it any longer he fell unconscious.

* * *

"Ms. Welles, it's entirely possible Mr. Mallory simply had a mental breakdown. On the last world, his mother's double attempted suicide. Considering his concern for his own mother perhaps it was too much for him to handle"

"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the timer going haywire right as Quinn began to lose it, or the nose bleed? Something is going on here, professor."

He heard the voices, opening his eyes to see Wade kneeling next to the bed, applying a wet towel to his forehead. Arturo stood at the foot of the bed, Rembrandt sitting in a nearby chair. Upon opening his eyes, Arturo turned to face him. Wade quickly turned to him as well, her face lighting up as she saw he was awake.

"Quinn, thank god. Are you alright?" She asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

He just stared at her, taking in her eyes, her face, her hair. She was alive, untouched. But this couldn't be his Wade, he knew what happened to his Wade. Or did he, considering it may have all been a trick. How much was a lie? What was real and what wasn't?

Looking into her eyes he found he couldn't break the contact. He felt so much guilt. She had been taken by the Kromaggs, touched, raped, mutilated. Turned into a weapon against her will. Had he really tried hard enough to save her?

"Quinn?" She whispered, not breaking eye contact with him. Arturo and Rembrandt watched silently, eyeing each other briefly before turning back to watch the two.

He hated himself for it. For not saving her, for not trying hard enough to find her. Even now he realized she had always been more than a best friend to him. He had feelings for her, feelings he repressed upon losing her. Feelings he projected onto Maggie.

"I'm sorry" he whispered to her, reaching up and placing a hand on her cheek. She swallowed, watching him intently.

"I'm so sorry, Wade." Even if she wasn't real. Even if she was some Kromagg trick, he needed to tell her. "I didn't save you. I couldn't save you. I lost you, all of you, because of my stupid invention"

His voice broke as he spoke. Wade was speechless, she didn't even know what he was talking about. However, she had no doubt he experienced whatever it was he apologized for. Even if she couldn’t make any sense of it.

Before she could come up with something to say Arturo spoke up, his voice filled with disgust.

"Stupid invention? Mr. Mallory, your timer is absolutely remarkable! The product of a brilliant mind!"

Quinn turned to regard the professor, finally breaking contact with Wade.

"My remarkable invention stole you from your homes, got you all killed. Lead to the destruction of earth prime!" He yelled.

"Were it not for sliding I would be dead!" Arturo countered, "alone, at that! Because of you I not only have a chance at life but a family!" He gestured to the other sliders.

"Not that it mattered" Quinn replied in a defeated tone. "We cured you of your brain cancer only for you to be murdered shortly after"

"I am very much alive, my boy" Arturo calmly replied, "and not only me. The world ravaged by the Q, the world about to be destroyed by an asteroid. Were it not for sliding those worlds would have faced doom. Because of your invention we were able to save them"

Quinn thought back, remembering a very similar conversation between himself and the professor after he had been cured of his brain cancer.

"A more recent example could be the world with the pulsar" Rembrandt chimed in.

"What?" Quinn yelled, turning to face Rembrandt.

"The world that was about to be destroyed by a pulsar. We saved many lives from that terrible disaster" Arturo replied.

"What day is it, what year?" Quinn asked, eyes wide. "What happened to Maggie, Jensen, or Rickman? You weren't attacked, professor?"

"Relax Mr. Mallory, we will answer your questions" Arturo replied, trying to keep Quinn calm, "We worked with Mrs. Beckett and Dr. Jensen to slide people off-world to survive the pulsar's radiation. Nobody attacked me, and we never met a Rickman. The exact date is February 9th, 1997"

"Impossible," Quinn said breathlessly, "it should be February 2000. Not only that, we landed on pulsar world February 21st 1997. By your account, we landed there too early!"

The room fell silent, the sliders looking at Quinn with confusion and astonishment. After collecting himself, Arturo spoke.

"Mr. Mallory, perhaps we should start at the beginning?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Fascinating," Arturo muttered, the three friends surrounding Quinn as he sat in bed. Rembrandt and Wade seemed just as lost as the professor, if not more so.

Quinn sat quietly, having just shared his entire sliding experience with the three sitting around him. He still felt unsure about them. If this wasn't a Kromagg trick then these people had to be double's, nothing else made sense. Not that he had a reason for suddenly appearing before them, or for taking the place of their friend.

He watched the three of them, his feelings conflicted. If it really was them he couldn't deny the joy of seeing them again. Alive, healthy, intact. But he didn't know for sure and his rational mind wouldn't stop reminding him just how impossible this family reunion truly was.

"Could this Quinn be a double?" Wade asked, sounding unsure.

"I don't think so," Arturo replied, "we haven't left each other's sides since we landed on this earth. Within that time Mr. Mallory acted very much like our own until suddenly changing at the same moment the timer went haywire. It was as if he suddenly changed personalities right in front of us"

"It also doesn't explain how Q-ball remembers the date being February 2000" Rembrandt chimed in.

"Not to mention our travels were nearly identical. The most notable discrepancies are that we never encountered these Kromaggs Mr. Mallory mentioned, some later worlds were never visited, and that our visits to some worlds do not coincide with Mr. Mallory's established timeline. Such as the Pulsar world and Azure world." Arturo explained, "However we did still visit many of the same worlds with nearly the same outcomes. Even if many of our doubles slid at the exact same moment most of them would visit completely different worlds. To meet a double who had an adventure nearly identical to our own would be astronomical"

Wade nodded in agreement, "The only worlds we never visited were the world with the dream masters, magic, androids and the giant worm"

"Yes, the desert, underground and burning worlds never came up either." Arturo replied, "but besides the more outlandish elements of Mr. Malloy's story our adventures were still nearly identical. The only worlds where things changed significantly are the pulsar world where we never met a Colonial Rickman and the Egyptian world where there were no genetically enhanced Scarabs."

"I just don't get it," Quinn spoke up for the first time, causing everyone to turn to him, "How did I end up in 1997? How did I separate from Mallory's body? What happened to Colin, Maggie, Mallory, and Diana? None of this makes sense."

Arturo nodded, deep in thought. "Yes, though I have a few theories"

"Oh?" Rembrandt said, sounding impressed. It really shouldn't surprise him, the professor was the smartest man he knew besides Q-ball.

"There isn't enough information to form anything concrete," Arturo began, "but I have two possibilities. The first being whatever caused the timer's fluctuations also affected Mr. Mallory. We already know this is the case, so perhaps those effects caused hallucinations or false memories. Whatever it was made Quinn believe he went on this wild adventure that never truly happened"

"I don't know professor," Quinn replied with uncertainty, "everything felt so real. I'd find it hard to believe that it all didn't happen"

"What's your other theory?" Wade asked.

"That this is an aftereffect of Geiger's combine experiments" Arturo replied "from what we've been told it had the power to collapse entire realities, merge two people together, and cause oneself to become unstuck. His combine had the power to change reality itself if utilized properly. Such as when Dr. Davis changed her doubles life. Perhaps that has something to do with this"

As he finished his explanation he sat quietly, deep in thought. Rembrandt looked over to Quinn.

"You alright, Q-ball? I can't imagine I would be after that story you told us." Rembrandt asked, his tone of voice carrying concern.

"I don't know," Quinn admitted, "I don't know what's real and what isn't. Even if this is true and you are all my friends I still had to watch you die. I still saw the professor become a broken shell of a man before he was murdered. I still saw Wade mutilated. It's a lot to deal with when I don't even know what the hell is going on"

Despite raising his voice near the end none of the sliders flinched away or took offense by it.

"Quinn, I hope you know none of us would ever blame you for what happened" Wade replied, "you took us on an amazing journey. No matter what comes tomorrow it can't take away what we've been through"

"Quite right, Mr. Mallory" Arturo spoke up, "even if I had died on that pulsar world I would have died with no regrets. I would have died with a family, died saving the lives of not only the people of that world but for someone I care about"

With a fatherly smile, he placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder. It was clear they were trying to help him, but his guilt was deep and so much was still unknown. He couldn't help but smile slightly however at this kindness he missed from his closest friends.

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright to slide?" Wade asked gently, placing a hand on Quinn's arm as Arturo opened the gateway. The sky blue vortex erupted in the center of the alleyway, causing loose papers and garbage to fly in every direction.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Quinn replied, offering her a weak smile before running and jumping into the vortex first. Behind him followed Wade, Arturo, and finally Rembrandt.

The trip felt no different than any other trip through the vortex, the group landing much more comfortably than normal, however. With surprise the four friends landed on a couch, their minds harkening back to a similar experience on the pulsar world. This time they were inside, however.

The room itself resembled Quinn's basement but the technology littered about the small area was much more advanced. In front of them a large flat-screen monitor sat mounted to the wall, images of different earths flashing through along with information about them.

A quick look around the room revealed the walls to either be littered with more flat-screens, each containing their own information or machines the four friends recognized as sliding technology. In one corner of the room sat a fridge, along with a small table and chairs. On the other side of the room was an empty computer chair, three flat-screen monitors, and a keyboard.

"Guys," Rembrandt got their attention, pointing to the flat-screen at which they sat across. On the large monitor, a single earth came into view, as well as a wall of text beside it.

**Quantum Signatures scanned**

**Maximillian Arturo**

**Status: Normal**

**Wade Welles**

**Status: Normal**

**Rembrandt Brown**

**Status: Normal**

**Quinn Mallory**

**Status: Fractured**

**All Quantum Signatures match**

**Dimensional Coordinates matched**

**Dimensional Coordinates: 323.935.914.157**

**Dimensional Status: Normal**

**Kromagg Presence: None**

"What is this?" Wade asked, reading over the words once more, "are those the coordinates to earth prime, and what does it mean Quinn is fractured?"

Quinn's eyes read the words several times over. The Kromaggs were no longer on earth prime? All Quantum Signatures match? His signature should differ from his friends, considering he and his brother belonged to another earth. Unless Colin was another lie.

"How do they have our information, and what's a quantum signature?" Rembrandt asked no one in particular.

"A quantum signature is the unique signature with which all matter in a universe resonates. Think of it like a fingerprint to a specific universe," A familiar voice behind them replied.

The four friends quickly turned, facing a grinning double of Quinn Mallory. Lifting his arms and gesturing out around the room, he spoke warmly.

"Welcome to my Sliding Network"


	3. Chapter 3

"Sliding network?" Wade asked, watching as this double of Quinn approached the group. He walked past, sitting in a chair across from them underneath the large screen which held their information. The sliders turned and watched him, waiting for some sort of explanation.

He pulled a small flat-screen device from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times. The sliders noticed their earth vanish from the larger screen on the wall and in its place dozens of smaller earths emerged.

"Yes," he replied, looking up from the small device to the group, "I am part of a large network of Sliders who banded together when we first noticed the multiversal fractures"

"Multiversal fractures?" Arturo asked.

"Multiversal fractures, as we've named them, are rips in the very fabric of reality." As he said this some of the earth's on the large screen vanished while others changed shape, looking more distorted. "These fractures can be so large they erase universes entirely, others so small they are barely even detectable. On worlds with large enough fractures the entire concept of reality can be warped, the laws of physics completely ignored"

"Like a world with dragons and magic, or a world with vampires?" Wade asked, thinking of the worlds Quinn mentioned back at the hotel.

"Possibly" Quinn's double replied, "Things we originally considered impossible may form on such broken worlds"

"When did these fractures first form?" Arturo asked, watching the screen with interest. 

"We don't know for sure" Quinn's double replied, "When we first noticed the fractures they were enormous in scale. We knew the multiverse would eventually collapse, so we took countermeasures to try and halt or even fix these fractures. At first, we believed it to be possible, until June 11, 1999."

As he heard the date Quinn closed his eyes in irritation. He knew what caused the problems his double mentioned. Damn you, Oberon Geiger.

"1999? Wait a minute, are you saying you remember later dates like Q-ball?" Rembrandt asked.

With a nod, Quinn's double continued, "yes, as far as I'm concerned it should be February 2000." 

"Why are you and our Quinn unaffected?" Arturo asked.

"I'm not sure how your Quinn survived the collapse but when we first noticed the fractures we created bubble universes to reside within. This room you're in now is actually my personal bubble universe" Quinn's double replied, gesturing out to the room once more.

"It was a good thing too because, on June 11, 1999, every Quinn not within one of our bubble universes ceased to exist. This caused the biggest fracture event we'd ever seen. Most of the multiverse seemed to collapse, leaving nothing behind but heavily fractured worlds, most of them broken beyond human comprehension. The few still recognizable were small, isolated worlds without much left to them."

On the screen, a large map of earths formed, only for 80% of the screen to suddenly become empty space. The remaining worlds reformed, looking even more misshapen than the fractured worlds shown before.

"By February 5, 2000, the entire Multiverse completely collapsed. Besides our bubble universes roughly six hours ago everything ceased to exist"

The remaining misshapen worlds vanished, leaving an empty black screen. That explained why Rembrandt hadn’t survived the trip through the unstable wormhole, Quinn thought. He had nothing but non-existence to exit the vortex into.

"Now hold on a minute" Rembrandt spoke up, "I know I'm no brainiac like Q-ball or the professor but if the entire multiverse collapsed then shouldn't there be nothing? How are we here?"

"I don't know," Quinn's double admitted, "for nearly 5 minutes there was nothing, then suddenly the multiverse seemed to reform itself. Most of it seems to be intact, besides a handful of fractured worlds and four fractured quantum signatures"

Suddenly many earths repopulated the empty screen, most of them looking normal. On the side of the screen, they could see information about Quinn and three unknown individuals.

**Fractured Quantum Signatures Detected**

**Quinn Mallory**

**Current Location: Bubble Universe 257**

**Unknown**

**Current Location: 435.131.563.907**

**Unknown**

**Current Location: 435.131.563.907**

**Unknown**

**Current Location: 674.239.098.174**

"It would appear that two of them are on the same earth" Arturo muttered, "you say fractures are rips in the fabric of reality. What does that mean for our Quinn?"

The three friends turned to face Quinn, worry etched upon their faces. Looking back Quinn for the first time truly began to believe these were his friends. He felt a warmth in his chest, one that he hadn't felt completely since the professor's death.

"It means his quantum signature is unstable. He existed in the fractured multiverse before it reset, unprotected by a bubble universe. He shouldn't exist at all now, yet he does. The same must be true for the other three unknown signatures." Quinns double replied, "as for a way to help him, we are still uncertain. Ever since we first noticed the fractures we have been working on a way to repair them. I diverted your tunnel here in the hope I could learn more and perhaps discover a way to reverse or repair the remaining fractures. Please, will you share your story with me?"

* * *

After sharing his story once more Quinn’s double got to work inputting the information into his network's systems. He, much like the professor, believed everything that happened was the fault of Geiger's experiments. He also theorized that the Combine experiment that targeted Quinn and Colin was what wiped all the Quinn’s and Colin’s from existence on June 11, 1999. The fact that Quinn and many of his doubles were sliders meant they had a massive impact on the multiverse. To suddenly erase them from existence would destroy everything, as it clearly had done.

Now, Quinn and his friends were traveling through the vortex to the world containing two of the three remaining fractured signatures. They agreed to help the sliding network, knowing not only that it was the right thing to do but also that it was the best chance they had to stabilize Quinn. With a yell Quinn landed beside the professor, the vortex closing behind him. Looking up he saw Wade offering him a hand and he took it, getting to his feet and pulling out the flat screen timer his double had given him.

To say this timer was more advanced than his Motorola model would be a massive understatement. It could track wormholes and store coordinates, much like his own timer thanks to Jensen, but could also scan quantum signatures and use those to track the home earth of whomever they scanned. It could pinpoint the location of specific signatures and store data collected about the worlds they visited. It even remained connected to the network, where they could access all the data within. The most impressive feat this timer possessed however was its ability to open wormholes at any time.

Quinn couldn't help the feeling of deja vu as he looked around. This small area seemed familiar if only he could place it. He looked to the small body of water, watching it for a brief moment before looking down at the timer. Tapping the screen a few times his eyes widened.

"Guys, one of the fractured signatures is coming right toward us," Quinn said. His friends looked over his shoulder at the timer before turning to face the newcomer.

As Quinn saw him approaching he felt the blood boil in his veins. His hands clenched into fists, his face filled with rage. Wade was the first to notice this, placing a hand on his arm.

“Quinn?” She whispered, her voice laced with concern. He didn’t have time to reply, however, as the newcomer spoke up first.

“Ah, Quinn Mallory. It is good to see you well. I detected your wormhole and came as soon as I could” the newcomer said aloud.

“I can’t say the feeling is mutual, Oberon Geiger,” Quinn replied, his voice filled with venom.


	4. Chapter 4

To say Quinn felt conflicted at this moment would be an understatement. Geiger deserved the rage placed upon him. He selfishly used the Combine to try and merge the entire multiverse, which led not only to the destruction of said Multiverse but the eradication of all Geiger, Quinn, and Colin doubles, at least until the multiverse reset itself and everyone came back.

Geiger merged Quinn with his fraternal double, stealing his life from him. Geiger caused Colin to become unstuck, trapping him in the endless torture that Geiger himself suffered. Quinn wanted to hate Geiger and in fact, he did hate him, but what he hated more was the little voice in the back of his mind telling him that despite everything he did it was because of him Wade and Arturo were alive again.

Quinn wanted to preach to Geiger how using the Combine in such a selfish way was wrong. That the destruction of the multiverse was too great a cost to achieve what he has achieved. Yet as he looked at the man he loved as a father and the woman he loved as more than just a friend, he found he couldn't utter the words. Would he not do everything within his power to save them? Surely he wouldn't destroy the multiverse for them, he wasn’t mad. Yet he couldn't say he regretted this outcome either.

He remembered Wade with her head cut open, being used as a tool by the Kromaggs. Now she stood alive and well, thanks to Oberon Geiger and his selfish use of the Combine. How could he lecture him on right and wrong when Wade and Arturo were alive.

The professor had just brought Geiger up to speed on everything, informing him of his new condition. His fractured quantum signature. Much to Geiger's annoyance, even these new Sliders seemed to take little pity on his previous condition.

"As I lay there dying I told Diana I was sorry, and I meant it," he said aloud, driving the sliders back to his lab.

"You couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be unstuck. You feel as if the waves of a roaring ocean continue to strike you. As you're about to reach the shore they pull you back in. I did not immediately desire to merge the multiverse. It came to me in desperation. I needed to be free, whatever the cost"

"As far as I'm concerned you have no right to call yourself a scientist," Arturo muttered in disgust, "to use my student and his brother in your twisted experiments, to try and ruin countless lives so you could live more comfortably. It's unethical and quite frankly disgusting"

Geiger turned to Arturo for a moment before turning back to watch the road as he drove, "and what would you do were you in my shoes?"

"Ask for help, you blistering idiot!" Arturo replied with a shout. "It was clear Dr. Davis and Mr. Mallory's double care for you. Why not tell them the truth? They would have done everything in their power to find alternative solutions!"

"And if there were no alternative solutions?" Geiger challenged.

"As unfortunate as that would be, they would still help you live as comfortably as possible. I would not sacrifice the entire multiverse to save myself" Arturo replied.

"Spoken from a man who hasn't experienced what I have. You may be singing a different tune were you the one unstuck" Geiger challenged hotly.

Arturo opened his mouth to speak, clearly angered but paused as Wade placed a hand on his arm. She looked to Geiger with curiosity.

"Do you care about Diana and your Quinn, or were they just tools to be used for your experiments?" She asked softly.

Geiger calmed, looking sad as he shook his head, "they were not just tools. Like I said before, I meant it when I apologized to Diana. I do care for her and Quinn. She is a most brilliant student, any scientist worth his merit would be proud to have taught her"

"Then why did you betray her and Quinn?" Wade pressed.

"I was desperate," he replied, "you think I took joy in what I did? I did what I had to for my survival. It pained me to feel Diana's hatred. She wouldn't understand, just as the four of you will never understand"

Rembrandt leaned forward in his seat, speaking up for the first time, "what happened after you died?"

"I awoke in my laboratory, no longer confined. I was finally free and better yet, Diana seemed to have no memory of what happened between us. I could start fresh, mold her into the amazing scientist I know she can be. However, it seemed I was not the only one to keep my memory of what happened. My Quinn remembered what happened as well"

Quinn's head snapped up, watching Geiger with increased interest. Geiger noticed this and nodded, already deducing what Quinn was likely thinking.

"Yes, seeing as you also remember what happened I believe only those affected by the Combine retain memories from before the Multiversal collapse. My Quinn is the other fractured signature you are seeking"

Quinn felt his heart beating hard in his chest. It felt too good to be true. If that theory turned out to be fact then that meant the fourth signature had to be Colin.

"Now hold on a minute. I've heard Q-balls story twice now. Weren't Maggie and I hit by your combined beam? What about the people you tried merging within that hell world you created?" Rembrandt asked.

Geiger remained quiet for a moment before answering.

"Well, I believe only those who were affected by the full power of my combine are the ones who survived the Multiversal rewrite. Myself and Colin were unstuck, while both Quinn's were merged together. On top of that our histories were rewritten. I cannot remember how I became unstuck, what I was doing, even how long ago it happened. I must have been working on the combine for some other reason and it backfired, changing my history and causing me to become unstuck in the process. I did not use enough power on you or those other people."

"So you're saying my history was altered?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, when I used the combine on you it must have completely altered yours and Colin's histories. It would explain why now your quantum signature matches your friends. It would seem you and Colin were never meant to be brothers."

"I see," Arturo replied, seeming to have put the pieces together, "that is why Mr. Mallory's timeline doesn't match our own. The event's he recalls, such as the Kromaggs, our deaths, Mrs. Beckett joining the group, Colin, and his parents. It's all because of your combine changing his history!"

"Correct" Geiger agreed.

Quinn felt that familiar rage build up in his chest. So it was Geiger's fault the professor died, Wade was mutilated, Rembrandt jumped into an unstable vortex, Colin became unstuck, the Kromaggs...

"Wait…" Quinn almost whispered causing everyone in the vehicle to turn his direction, "my double said his sliding systems couldn't detect the Kromaggs on earth prime any longer. My friends say we never came across the Kromaggs. Are you telling me we only ever ran across the Kromaggs because you altered my history?"

"That would make sense, Mr. Mallory" Arturo responded gently, "your altered history is heavily centered on the Kromaggs. The entire reason you and Colin were sent off-world was because of the human/Kromagg war."

Quinn sat quietly, watching Geiger with a newfound hatred he didn't know existed within him. He wanted to murder Oberon Geiger, here and now. Because of him, his mother, his world, his Wade, his friends, they were all tortured and killed! He wanted to end this blight on the multiverse here and now. But he restrained himself. He would not allow himself to become a monster. He wouldn't become like Geiger.

"That's why the fractures were so large. Mr. Mallory's history change not only affected himself and his world, like Dr. Davis's double, but it also affected the entire multiverse" Arturo whispered, horrified and disgusted with the unethical slime sitting in the driver's seat.

"What do you plan to do now that you're no longer unstuck?" Quinn asked through clenched teeth, glaring at Geiger.

"I planned to do some research and use my combine equation to stabilize mine and Mallory's quantum signatures" Geiger replied, "I believe my combine equation is our best chance to fix these fractures you mentioned. I want to help. I want to atone for the wrongs I've committed on the multiverse."

As much as it sounded like a bad idea to let Geiger continue his research Quinn admitted to himself that if used properly the combine equation could most likely repair the fractures. Maybe if Mallory and Diana could keep an eye on him. Or even better, the sliding network could watch over him. Maybe it could prevent something like this from happening again.

"You will always be a monster to me, Oberon Geiger" Quinn replied, body shaking, "I don't trust you, not alone. Join the sliding network, give them your equations. You also have to tell Diana the truth. If you won't agree with that then I won't let you continue your research"

As Quinn said this the vehicle came to a stop, parked outside Geiger Applied Research. Turning to face him Geiger nodded, releasing a tired sigh. In truth, he did regret what had happened because of him. He still didn't feel he was wrong to fight for his life, to free himself from the living curse of being unstuck, but he couldn't deny the largely negative impact his work had on the multiverse. He really did want to right his wrongs. If this was the price of atonement then it was worth the cost. He only hoped Diana and his Quinn would someday forgive him.

"A fair trade, Quinn Mallory. I'll join your sliding network"


	5. Chapter 5

The four friends sat in silence as they waited to meet with Diana and Mallory. Ever since he changed at the hotel, remembering the events before the Multiversal collapse Wade noticed that Quinn seemed distant. That was to be expected of course, after everything he had been through. 

What worried Wade was the way he looked at her. Whenever their gazes would meet his eyes would fill with a great sadness and regret. She heard his story twice now and knew he blamed himself for what happened to her.

Not only her, but the professor, Colin and Rembrandt too. He took the blame for everything that went wrong in their lives, things that were so far beyond his control he couldn't possibly have stopped them.

Sliding wasn't safe, Wade always knew that. Many times in these few short years they found themselves in dangerous situations that could have easily led to one of their deaths. Despite this she still held back her feelings for Quinn, believing it best to wait until they reached home. Believing that a relationship shouldn't be attempted while traveling the multiverse. It was clearly a mistake on her part, knowing had the multiverse not reset like it did they would have lost their chance together forever.

Watching him now broke her a little, but on the other hand it steeled her resolve. She needed to tell him the truth, and now more than ever he needed to hear it. She only hoped this would help him in some way. 

Regardless of how this turned out she was eternally thankful for the chance to even say it. If something happened tomorrow, or the next day, or even the next, she could at least take comfort in the fact that she told Quinn how she felt about him.

* * *

He would never be a monster like Oberon Geiger. That's what Quinn told himself mere moments ago in an attempt to tame his rage. But that wasn't true, was it? He was as much a monster as Geiger.

Maybe he didn't destroy the multiverse but he had his share of things to be guilty for. For one he was willing to look past Geiger's selfish actions when he believed it brought back Wade and the professor. Just how far would he go to save them?

Not far at all if his abandonment of Wade was anything to go by.

"You left her," the voice in his head whispered, "you are a monster, Quinn Mallory. You were prepared to live a life of luxury with your brother and HER, your precious Maggie Beckett. You were prepared to leave Wade to be raped and mistreated by the Kromaggs for the rest of her life. A life you brought her into with your timer."

No! He would never abandon Wade!

"But you did, you completely forgot about her. After all, why would you need her if you had Maggie? You stopped looking for her. You abandoned her."

Quinn startled from the internal debate as he felt a hand clasp his own. Looking down he saw Wade's hand holding his, their fingers interlocked. Looking at her face he was surprised by how close she seemed to be.

"Wade?" He stuttered, his throat dry.

"Quinn, will you talk to me, please?" She asked, drawing even closer to him as she spoke. Rembrandt and Arturo eyed each other, both getting up and walking to the other side of the room, trying to give the two of them some sense of privacy.

"What is there to say?" Quinn replied bitterly, though she could tell the bitterness wasn't aimed at her.

"You apologized to me back at the hotel. I've heard your story twice now, Quinn. It wasn't your fault. This was all because of Geiger" she replied.

"No Wade, Geiger didn't make me stop looking for you. I did that all on my own" Quinn hissed.

"Please stop blaming yourself for things beyond your control. You couldn't predict everything that was going to happen. It isn't your fault you couldn't save me. I don't blame you"

As she said this she placed her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. Sadness, regret, and pain reflected back at her. She moved closer, never breaking contact. She felt Quinn squeeze her hand as she did.

"I projected my feelings for you onto Maggie. When I thought Colin and I got home I gave the timer to Rembrandt. I was prepared to live happily with my family while you remained in the clutches of the Kromaggs. I abandoned you, Wade. I don't deserve you, the professor, Rembrandt, anybody. I'm a monster. I'm no better than Geiger"

"Absolute rubbish" Arturo mumbled under his breath, only to receive an elbow in his side from Rembrandt. Wade turned to look at them for only a moment, quickly turning her focus back to Quinn.

"You tried to save me and it failed, remember? You said so in your story, that you tried to make a Kromagg guard look up my files in their systems. You lost so much. Our home to both sliding and the Kromaggs, the professor, me. After so much loss, it makes sense to me that you would latch onto the idea of being home. Being away from the constant loss and tragedy." She whispered.

"That doesn't excuse…" he paused as she placed a finger to his lips.

"You didn't abandon me. I was stolen from you by a force you couldn't combat on your own. You made it home where you felt secure and happy. I refuse to believe you would have just forgotten about me. You would have asked your parents for help in finding me. Look at you now, Quinn. You're so filled with regret over never finding me. You can't tell me you would have gone the rest of your life without feeling this way."

He simply stared at her, unsure how to respond. She had a point, just because he gave the timer to Rembrandt didn't mean he wouldn't continue his search for her. His parents were sliders after all, or at least the altered ones were.

"I forgive you, Quinn. So please forgive yourself"

As she said this she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his own. At first, he froze, watching her intently, mind racing as to how to respond. Wade was about to pull away as she felt him begin to return the gesture. Slowly she moved closer, closing her eyes as she felt his arm wrap around her.

She forgave him, despite everything he told her. She still believed in him, trusted him. Evidently even the professor and Rembrandt still believed in him too. They didn't think any less of him. They still loved him.

Closing his own eyes he held the kiss, pulling her body against his own. Across the room, Arturo and Rembrandt couldn't stop the large smiles that came to their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

As the vortex closed behind him Quinn's double looked around the small familiar basement. A quick glance around the room showed Quinn that the technology on this world was severely lacking compared to his own, even more so when compared to the network.

That's not to say what he saw wasn't impressive. Of course a double of his could use such stone-age technology to create a somewhat primitive timer. He pulled out the other Quinn's Motorola MicroTAC Ultra-Lite cellular flip phone timer.

Why had the other Quinn used this without more proper testing? Excitement perhaps, but that excitement got him and his friends lost in the multiverse. Not that it mattered now, he was wiser after his mistake and it ended up saving his professor, not to mention the countless worlds they visited. Using the network the four friends would soon see their home again.

Setting the timer down next to the computer Quinn leaned over and began to type at the keys. While connecting this Quinn's systems to the network he would see about bringing him some better tech. Grabbing his own timer he tapped at the screen, requesting assistance from several others within the network to help with the conversion process.

He lifted his head as he heard footsteps, turning to see a double of his mother coming down the stairs in a hurry. As she spotted him her breath hitched, eyes widening as he could see the beginning of moisture forming.

"Quinn?" She asked breathlessly, almost as if she didn't believe it. Before he could respond she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Feeling awkward and unsure how to respond Quinn slowly pat her on her upper back.

"I knew you'd make it home someday. I saw the tapes. What the hell were you thinking?" She asked, stepping back and looking at him angrily as tears fell from her eyes.

Putting up his hands he swallowed, trying to find the best way to explain this to her. Maybe he should have waited for this world's Quinn to be with him.

"Listen, I'm not your Quinn," he began calmly, "but I have met him. He is helping me with something now but he will be home soon. I came here to link his sliding systems with my own, so we could keep in contact and he can help us in the future"

Her expression changed from one of anger to dismay, then back to hope. This Quinn said her son would be home soon. She just had to wait a bit longer. At least now she knew he was safe.

"So that must mean you're some kind of other earth version of him?" She asked quizzically, "your friend...I'm sorry, my son's friend, Conrad Bennish told me a little about all of this. I was a wreck after my son vanished and called the police. He was the one who sat me down and explained some theories about parallel worlds and that my son must be visiting them"

With a nod, Quinn felt gratitude for this Bennish guy. It would certainly make explaining everything easier.

"Your son invented what we call the timer," as he explained he grabbed his double's Motorola timer and handed it to the older woman. She took it, watching the numbers count down.

"It opens a vortex to parallel earths, where it's the same year and you're the same person, but everything else is different. These worlds can have doubles of yourself, much like I am a double of your son"

She nodded, looking over the converted phone with interest. Her son built this remarkable device. It impressed her, even if most of this went over her head.

"What happens when the timer reaches zero?" She asked, lifting her head and giving this Quinn her full attention.

"The timer's original function was to count down and reopen a gateway to the world you came from. However, your Quinn was forced to open his gateway early. This resulted in him and his friends getting lost in the multiverse. They reprogrammed the timer to function off of the helix spiral"

At her confused look, Quinn just chuckled.

"Basically whenever the timer reaches zero they could open a gateway to another random world. Your son and his friends have been sliding blindly from world to world in the hope one day they would make it home. Luckily they came across me and my network. You will see your son again soon"

"That sounds like my son, getting himself lost like that," Amanda said with bitter humor, "it explains why he never came home. Thank you for finding him"

"Of course," Quinn replied warmly, "and don't be angry at your son. I agree it was foolish of him to use the timer without further testing, but in the end, his getting lost saved countless lives"

Amanda looked at Quinn in surprise, a small smile gracing her lips.

"My son saved lives?" She asked quietly.

"Many lives, albeit not directly in some cases" Quinn replied, recalling the story his double and his friends shared. "because of sliding professor Arturo brought antibiotics to a world ravaged by an incurable disease. He built a bomb to save a world about to be destroyed by an asteroid. On a world ruled by the Soviets your son and his friends brought hope to a previously dwindling resistance. Even now they are working with my network to try and save the multiverse, to save countless worlds, countless lives"

Amanda felt something warm in her chest as she listened to this double of her son speak about him. Her son not only built such a complex and amazing device, but he also saved more lives than she could count. Even now he was fighting to save lives. To say she was proud of him would be an understatement. She couldn't wait to see him again to tell him so herself.


	7. Chapter 7

For once things seemed to be going well for Quinn. Wade forgave him, his friends were back and he had the help of a sliding network that would soon bring them all home. 

As Diana entered the room the professor was the first to greet her, the two lulling into a conversation. Arturo found himself impressed with her advanced knowledge of physics. She seemed passionate about her field and was more than willing to help, though it did take some convincing and admittance from Geiger for her to believe the group.

"So, you're the Quinn Mallory who shared a body with me for almost a year" Mallory greeted, extending his hand to Quinn as he entered from behind Diana.

"So it would seem. Nice to meet you face to face. I see you're able to walk, is that Geiger's doing?" Quinn replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

"No, I woke up like this. I don't understand why, but I'm certainly not complaining. No offense but it's good to have you out of me" Mallory said with a chuckle.

"None taken, trust me, I'm not complaining either" Quinn replied with a small laugh of his own.

"Where's Maggie?" Mallory asked, turning to take in the other sliders standing nearby.

"It's a little complicated, maybe we should all sit down? We have a lot to talk about"

* * *

"So you're telling me that you, me, and Geiger all have unstable, what did you call them?" Mallory questioned aloud.

"Quantum Signatures, and that's not all, there are still fractures present in the multiverse that need to be repaired. If we don’t find a way to fix them it could lead to another multiversal collapse" Quinn replied.

“Of course” Mallory groaned with irritation, “The moment I am not only free of you but back home I learn that something else is wrong with me”

"Well, we just need to go over Dr. Geiger's equations and see if they can be used to fix these fractures, right? I say we start now." Diana spoke up, standing, and gesturing for the others to follow.

"Quite right, no time like the present" Arturo agreed, following behind her along with the rest of the group.

“Are things okay between you and Geiger, considering everything that he did to you?” Quinn asked as he lagged behind, standing closer to Mallory.

Mallory looked back, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he replied.

“I don’t know. He apologized, claimed it was all an act of desperation. It doesn't excuse what he did to me, but I guess I can let it go since he agreed to help us now. Not only that everything reset, giving us all a second chance. I can walk thanks to him, build a better life for myself, and while being combined with you hampered most of the journey I did enjoy sliding. Truth be told though I don’t trust him”

“Yeah, well neither do I. But at least now you and Diana both know what he is capable of. Not only that, the network will be keeping a close eye on him. We shouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.”

* * *

Diana, Arturo, Quinn, and Geiger stood together at a computer terminal, going over his combine equations. Quinn tapped a few keys on the advanced timer, downloading the data into the network's systems as the others continued to study the numbers.

Suddenly Quinn felt the muscles in his body go tight as he began to feel the inklings of a headache coming on. Both Geiger and Mallory, who were off to the side with Wade and Rembrandt, seemed to be feeling the same. Reaching up, Quinn felt wetness on his face. Looking at his moist fingertips he could see the color of crimson.

Arturo was by his side in an instant, grabbing his shoulders as he began to feel weak. Rather than fall on the unforgiving ground, Arturo held him up. The room was spinning, the timer once again slipping from his grip.

He could hear the professor speaking, his tone one of concern as he held the boy. Wade came into view as well, holding the timer and showing it to the professor with a look of panic on her face. Quickly setting him down Arturo vanished from view, typing furiously at the keys of the computer Geiger was previously using.

Turning his head weakly he could see Rembrandt caring for Mallory, Diana caring for Geiger, and Arturo yelling as he tried to figure out the equations on screen. Turning back to Wade, Quinn caught sight of the timer, realization dawning on him as he read the text on the timer. 

**Fractures Detected**

**Quantum Signatures Dangerously Unstable**

**Quinn Mallory**

**323.935.914.157**

**Quinn Mallory**

**435.131.563.907**

**Oberon Geiger**

**435.131.563.907**

His heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to think, struggled to remain conscious. But as another wave of nausea and dizziness hit him he couldn't hold on any longer.

* * *

Quinn found himself in an endless darkness, only for that darkness to soon light up with the swirls of what appeared to be many countless galaxies. Each one seemed to be swirling around thousands of others, those swirls connected to dozens of others creating their own large circular shape. At the center was a bright light, the galaxies giving off green or purple colors in the darkness surrounding them. He didn't know where he was or where to go to escape this place. Focusing on one of the many swirling galaxies surrounding him he began to move forward, only to be engulfed in the light, blinding him momentarily. Once his vision returned to him he could see into the lives of countless sliding doubles.

However, he soon realized that these were not just other universes he was peering into. No, these had to be entirely different multiverses. Due to Geiger's experiment's many of the alternate events he saw were no longer possible within the boundaries of his own multiverse. He could think of no other conclusion, besides perhaps the multiverse existing on separate layers, with only his layer being affected by Geiger’s experiments.

One example was that despite the reset all of Geiger's doubles did not return, yet in these parallel multiverses he saw dozens of Geigers. He felt bad for the countless innocent Geiger doubles who for whatever reason were not brought back. But on the other hand he at least had peace in knowing another Geiger wouldn't destroy his multiverse any time soon.

It would seem Geiger's doubles in these multiverses conducted similar experiments, however, some of these multiverses were able to survive the fractures and repair themselves, while others were forced to reset to earlier points like his own.

It made him wonder, had there always been countless multiverses within a much larger megaverse? Or on the other hand, if that theory wasn't quite accurate, were there always multiple layers within his own multiverse, each layer consisting of its own set of universes, like some sort of sub-multiverse? Or did Geiger's experiments cause the existing multiverse to split apart and form completely new multiverses of their own? Whichever it was, those swirling galaxies he saw before must have been individual multiverses, each containing an infinite number of universes. It blew his mind to think of it. To know that his multiverse was one of countless others, all of which contained universes with their own Quinn's, Wade's, Arturo's and Rembrandt's. It made him feel small in comparison to the enormous size of all existence.

He saw one multiverse where the microdot malfunctioned and he was not the right Quinn. Rembrandt slid to earth prime only to learn the professor was left behind on Azure world and got home with the help of one of his doubles and Dr. Steven Jenson. His home was not the earth conquered by the Kromaggs, but with the professor's help, they not only saved the world that was but managed to split his double and Mallory, save Wade, and ground Colin. However in the end his double, Wade, Rembrandt, and the professor all were lost once more to their multiverse, sliding randomly in the hopes of getting home while Mallory, Diana, Colin, and Maggie worked on earth prime to try and find them.

In another multiverse, Quinn and his friends were captured by the Kromaggs and forced into a virtual simulation. Quinn experienced the worst life possible, losing his friends and world while the others believed themselves to be home. Quinn eventually entered their simulation and helped them all escape.

In one multiverse Quinn prevented a complete Kromagg takeover by rewriting the entire multiverse himself, choosing the day of his and his friend's first slide as that multiverse's starting point. However, this wiped many lives from existence and caused that multiverse to be incredibly unstable. It would eventually fall apart, but before Quinn could see more he was yanked away.

He saw his friends escape the frozen world only for his double to die to the tornado.

He saw one group of doubles grow from just the four of them to a group of twenty! The last thing he saw of this group was their Arturo drinking peppermint tea with a young blind girl.

He saw a vortex close, the professor getting to his feet and muttering to himself, a look of terror and despair forming on his face. Quinn tried to reach out to him, but again he was pulled away.

He saw his friends after losing the professor to the pulsar world take comfort from a double who had met many sliders before them.

He saw so many things, so many groups, so many multiverses. If there were countless multiverses within a megaverse who was to say there weren't more megaverses as well? Endless possibilities indeed.

As suddenly as this adventure began he felt himself being pulled back, color and sound returning to the dark currently surrounding him.

* * *

As Quinn opened his eyes he immediately caught the sight of not one, but three Arturo's hovering over him. He blinked, watching them in amazement, then horror.

"Oh no! Professor! Whatever just happened to me must have split you in three!" Quinn yelled, his mind not quite catching up to him just yet. He tried to sit up, but the center Arturo put a hand to his shoulder, keeping him down.

"Mr. Mallory please calm down, everything is fine" the center Arturo spoke calmly. He opened his mouth to continue speaking but was cut off by the right Arturo.

"Split me in three? We are from the network you blistering idiot!" He yelled, looking at Quinn as if he grew a second head.

The other two Arturo's paid him no mind, the left one pulling out an advanced timer of his own before speaking.

"After yours, Geiger's, and Mallory's collapse we came in to help. Together with your Arturo and Dr. Davis, we managed to find a way to repair the fractures on this world and stabilize your quantum signatures"

"We brought you here to rest after your ordeal, but the good news is we can use this equation to fix the remaining fractures throughout the multiverse" the center Arturo said, offering Quinn the advanced timer his double had given him before.

Taking the timer and nodding his thanks Quinn finally looked around the room, realizing he was at the hotel.

"Where are my friends?" He asked, looking at the three.

"The other room with your double and Geiger" the center Arturo replied, turning and heading to the door, "I shall fetch them for you"

"Thanks," Quinn said, laying his head back and taking a deep breath. When his friends found out what just happened to him it would blow their minds. He couldn't wait to see the look on his professor's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea behind this chapter was to essentially make every piece of Sliders media, from the TV show to the comics to fan fiction's canon in some way. Enjoy a fanfic that normally can't fit in with another you enjoy? Well it simply happened in another multiverse!
> 
> Some of the multiverses Quinn peered into were other Fanfics I quite enjoy and highly recommend. They are as follows.
> 
> Renewals by Marc C  
> Slide Effects by Ireactions  
> Sliders: Reborn found on Earthprime.com  
> The Slide Factor series by Classchic1  
> Tea and Sympathy by MelindaYoung


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn smiled at the astonished look on the professor's face, his three friends sitting next to the bed as he sat up slowly. Geiger, Diana, and Mallory sat near the foot of the bed, having woken up shortly before he did. Geiger and Mallory shoved off any hands that tried to push them back when they awoke, claiming they would be fine.

“Mr. Mallory, if I’m understanding you correctly, you’re telling me Quantum Instability allows you to breach the walls of our existing multiverse and peer into our neighboring multiverses?” Arturo asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

“It would seem so. I saw things that couldn’t possibly be happening within our multiverse according to the data collected by the network. I saw Geiger doubles, and not only that I saw entire multiverses being rewritten or reset. One of which was on the brink of collapse due to a mistake on my doubles part. I wanted to help him, but I didn't have the time and even if I had he couldn’t see me” Quinn replied.

“I saw similar things” Mallory replied, catching the attention of the small group, “I saw one group where the multiverse seemed to survive the fractures. My double was merged with your Quinn, much like I was. But because the reset never occurred we were still merged. He decided to agree with an operation that split them, at the cost of his own life”

Quinn frowned at that, as did his friends. None of them liked the idea of Mallory dying because of Geiger’s thoughtless experiment.

“I too saw my doubles, many of them trapped in the same unstuck prison I was. It would seem Quantum Instability draws us to our doubles in outer multiverses.” Geiger said.

“But why?” Diana asked, looking puzzled.

“I admittedly don’t know, nor do I believe we should research it. Quantum Instability is incredibly unsafe. Had the network not sent help, the three of us may not have survived” Geiger replied, turning his attention to Quinn, “We have what we need, the ability to repair the fractures and stabilize the final Quantum Signature Quinn’s network detected. If it is indeed your brother, Colin, I would see about leaving immediately. I believe the recent fracture was specific to this world, so he should still be safe. However, his instability may cause a fracture on his own world soon”

“I agree,” Arturo said aloud, turning his focus to Quinn, “Mr. Mallory, the sooner we find and stabilize Colin the better. Are there any preparations we should make before the slide?”

Thinking back to his first visit to Amish world, one idea came to Quinn immediately.

“We may need a change of clothes”

* * *

Finding the town wasn’t hard considering the network's timer deposited them not far from where Colin’s Quantum Signature seemed to be located. Luckily it had been outside of town, so they didn’t have to worry about the townspeople thinking of them as Devils or witches. Not that Quinn particularly cared what these people thought of them, but it would be much easier to find Colin without their interference. Now, the four friends dressed in Amish style clothing walked through the town toward Colin's home.

Looking around the familiar setting Quinn remembered how horribly the townsfolk treated his brother because of his inventions. The word Necromancer came to mind, remembering the woman who insulted Colin for having an interest in her daughter. Many of the other townsfolk giving him a wide berth, seeming to believe just walking next to him would cause them some form of misfortune. He even recalled when they first met, many threatening to shoot Colin.

“You said these people feared your brother because of his mind?” Arturo asked, walking next to Quinn and eyeing some of the townsfolk unfavorably as they passed.

“Yeah, a lot of them feared him, considered him a Devil or something. Apparently, he accidentally fried some of their chickens once, but I don’t think that’s reason enough to hate him like they do” Quinn replied.

“Fools, all of them. To fear science as they do, to mislabel one who could bring this world some much needed advancements. I have no doubt your brother will wish to return home with us, where his mind will be much more appreciated”

It was clear the professor did not agree with the way they treated his brother, a sentiment Quinn both agreed with and appreciated. Despite not meeting him yet, both the professor and Wade seemed ready to accept him with open arms. Rembrandt too seemed more than willing to meet Colin, saddened that he couldn’t remember the adventures they already shared.

Quinn soon spotted the small house, approaching it and turning the knob with little surprise that it was unlocked. After all, most people here tend to avoid this home.

Upon entering he didn’t spot his brother, frowning as he double checked the timer. His position was nearby, perhaps out back. He turned to face his friends, spotting Arturo quickly walking over to one of his brother's tables scattered throughout the small lab.

“A Wimshurst machine, your brother invented this?” Arturo asked, looking astonished as he took in the device. His eyes turned to take in sketches on the walls, and the other tables through the lab.

“Yeah, when we first met he was flying a hang glider too. Also his invention” Quinn replied.

“Absolutely remarkable! To think your brother could not only think up these inventions but bring them to life on such a technology and science starved world. It would seem much like his brother, Mr. Mallory is quite the genius” Arturo praised.

Quinn couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. It really felt good to have the professor back after all these years. A sentiment he wouldn’t soon forget.

“What's a Wimshurst machine?” Wade asked, looking to the device in question.

“Ah yes, Ms. Welles, you see, the Wimshurst machine is an electrostatic generator,” Arturo began, turning to face both Wade and the machine at the same time as he explained, “It was developed between 1880 and 1883 by British inventor James Wimshurst. Wimshurst machines are part of a class of electrostatic generators called influence machines, which separate electric charges through electrostatic induction. Earlier machines were much less efficient and would exhibit an unpredictable tendency to switch their polarity. Wimshurst machines solved this problem”

“You know one of these days, we’re going to slide into a world where all they speak is greek. You’re gonna fit right in” Rembrandt replied from across the room, smiling as the professor turned to him with a look of slight irritation.

“Mr. Brown Wimshurst machines were one of the first machines to generate electricity by induction. They can store electricity in jars much like these” Arturo replied, gesturing to the jars spread about on the small table.

“Now that sounds more like English” Rembrandt replied with a wider smile, the irritation growing on Arturo’s face. He opened his mouth to yell, cutting himself off as the door opened, Colin Mallory entering the small home and looking between the four friends. As his eyes landed on Quinn and Rembrandt, they widened, a smile coming to his face as he threw down the bag he previously carried.

“Brother, Rembrandt! You found me!”


	9. Chapter 9

"Bro!" Quinn yelled, rushing over and grabbing Colin in a tight embrace. While he had a feeling the final fractured signature had indeed been Colin’s, it felt good to see him again and verify it was true. He, much like Wade and the professor, stood alive, breathing, and most important to his situation anchored to this reality. It could have brought tears to Quinn's eyes knowing his brother was no longer unstuck.

Colin was quick to return the gesture, glad to have his brother back after the last few hours of utter confusion. He believed this to be his home Earth, or at least a close alternate considering how similar it was, though he had no idea how he returned here after the slide. He recalled the events of Lipschitz world, where he and his friends were separated and he was confused for his double. He immediately believed this to be a similar situation, remaining close to his previous home and searching for his friends, knowing they would most likely search this area for him.

Many of the townsfolk gave him their usual looks of disdain, especially considering the clothing he was wearing. He returned to his small two-room cabin, left to him by his parents after their passing. Changing into more appropriate attire Colin once again exited his home and lab, searching for his fellow sliders. After searching for a few hours and coming up empty Colin returned home, hoping they would be there waiting.

As Quinn finally released him he turned, looking over to the two faces he had never met, and searching for his missing friend, Maggie, whom he couldn't find anywhere in the room. Noticing this Arturo approached with a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mallory. I've heard many good things. I am Maximilian Arturo, regents professor of Cosmology and Ontology at the University of California. Behind me is the ever radiant Ms. Welles, and of course you already know Mr. Brown" Arturo greeted, offering his hand to Colin.

Colin watched him with suspicion before slowly shaking his hand. As he did this his eyes lingered past him, focusing on Wade.

"I have been told stories about you, but I heard you died saving my brother's life. Not only that, Wade is currently held captive by the Kromaggs" Colin replied, "is it possible you are doubles? The last thing I remember is jumping into the wormhole alongside my brother. We were narrowly escaping a gunfight, but instead of exiting the wormhole like normal, I woke up here. I figured we were separated, it has happened before."

"Ah, yes. A lot has transpired since that incident. I believe your brother would be the best person to discuss the situation with you. I assure you, we are not doubles" Arturo replied, nodding to Quinn.

Quinn prepared to begin explaining everything that happened thanks to Geiger's experiments, however before he could Colin approached Wade with a smile.

"If that is the case then I am glad my brother was finally able to rescue you. It was clear you were important to both him and Rembrandt. It is nice to finally meet you in person."

She smiled at that, turning to look at both Quinn and Rembrandt as she replied.

"They're important to me too. It's nice to finally meet you too, Colin. Quinn told us a lot about you"

Rembrandt stepped forward next, placing a hand on Colin's shoulder. As he turned to face him Remmy smiled.

"Look Farm boy I don't remember much of what happened between us but Q-ball says we were good friends. I'd expect nothing less, and I look forward to getting to know you again"

That caught Colin off guard. He turned to Rembrandt with a look of shock.

"You do not remember our adventures? What happened after that slide, and where is Maggie? I could not help but notice her absence."

Quinn was quick to approach Colin’s other side, placing his hand on his brother's free shoulder.

“As the professor said, a lot has happened since our last slide. We need to talk”

Quinn gestured for the group of friends to sit, Quinn quickly filling Colin in on everything that transpired. Colin becoming unstuck, Quinn being combined with Mallory, the Multiverse ceasing to exist and then subsequently resetting to an earlier point. As well as the most important piece of information, their apparent history changes, and the multiversal fractures. As he digested the information Colin's face shifted more and more into a frown.

"This is a lot to take in at once," Colin said, "so you are not my brother after all"

He looked truly upset by the revelation, which Quinn couldn't fault him for. He too felt disappointment upon learning Colin wasn't really his brother, not that it would change the way he felt about him. Still learning everything you believed to be true was in fact not wasn't an easy thing to swallow.

"Bro, I don't care if we share a Quantum Signature or not. After everything we've been through you will always be my brother" Quinn replied, smiling as he saw Colin's previous frown shift back into a smile.

"I feel the same, though I do wonder. Was I hidden alongside another Quinn? Do I have another brother out there, searching for me?" Colin asked.

Shaking his head Quinn walked over to Colin, tapping at the timer a few times before pointing at the numbers now flashing on the screen.

"You see these numbers? This is your unique Quantum Signature. It matches this world, meaning you were born of this universe. It would seem Geiger's experiment heavily changed your history, just as it did mine. The timer doesn’t detect any other signatures from this earth out in the multiverse."

"I see, so this is my home Earth. That means my adoptive parents were my real parents?” Colin asked, standing and looking around the room. He grabbed a familiar locket, one Quinn immediately recognized as the one containing the microdot. Opening it they looked inside, only to find the familiar picture of this world's Amanda and Micheal Mallory, no microdot hidden in the additional compartment.

“So it would seem, bro. My adoptive parents turned out to be my real parents too. Neither of us were born of another Earth, or hidden away to avoid the Kromaggs.” Quinn replied.

Searching the small lab further Colin found his father's pocket watch, the one Quinn previously destroyed while searching for the microdot. Pocketing both the watch and the locket Colin spotted a book, one he didn’t remember seeing before. Picking it up and opening the cover he soon learned why that was.

He stared at the words, speechless and lost. Looking over his shoulder Quinn couldn’t hide his own shock at what he was reading.

“What is it, Quinn?” Wade asked, curious as to what could have caused this kind of reaction from the Mallory brothers.

“It’s a diary, intended as a gift to my brother and me” Quinn replied, “Or at least, to my brother and this world's Quinn. It contains several passages written from Colin’s mother, directed at both of her children”

“Wait a minute, there’s a Quinn on this Earth?” Rembrandt asked.

“That would make sense, Mr. Brown. After all, both Mr. Mallory’s histories were altered by Geiger’s experiment. It’s entirely possible the Quinn and Colin of this Earth were born as brothers, but the rewritten history erased this world's Quinn and replaced him with our own. Thus creating the new history of the brothers being hidden off world due to the Human/Kromagg war.” Arturo replied.

“So where is this world’s Quinn?” Wade asked, looking around the small home, “Could he be living here with Colin?”

“He died,” Colin replied sadly, flipping the page and reading through the text, “It would seem she intended to give us this book when we got older, but the illness took them. She made one final passage specifically for me, explaining that she loved me very much and would wait for me in heaven alongside my brother and father.”

The sliders all looked between each other. Arturo, Wade, and Rembrandt all stepped out, giving Quinn and Colin some privacy.

“I’m sorry that you can’t remember him thanks to Geiger’s experiments, I’m sure he was a good brother” Quinn offered, placing a hand on Colin’s arm. Closing the book Colin turned to him, a weak smile replacing his previous frown.

“I am sure that he was like you, brother. While I regret losing my memory of him I at least know he existed now and will cherish that knowledge. I do not regret what has happened, because now I have another brother, you”

* * *

After going through the small diary Quinn decided he could wait no longer in fixing his brother's Fractured condition. Tapping a few keys on the advanced timer Quinn pulled up the needed formula, using the timer to correct Colin’s unstable signature.

“What will happen now?" Colin asked, looking between his brother and their small family.

"Now, we want you to come with us" Quinn replied, offering his hand to Colin. "You are safe now and can live out the rest of your life here if that's what you want. But I would much prefer that you slid along with us"

It didn't take Colin long to decide, taking his brother's hand and getting to his feet.

"You and Rembrandt are my family, and home is where the people you care about are."

Squeezing his brother's hand Quinn turned, tapping the screen on the timer and opening a sky blue vortex. As Arturo, Rembrandt and Wade leaped inside Colin turned to Quinn, the two approaching the wormhole.

"Where too, brother?"

Turning to face his brother Quinn couldn't help but smile ear to ear, excited to finally see his mother again after all this time, and to introduce her to Colin. Patting his brother on the back he nodded toward the gateway, pocketing the advanced timer.

"We're going home"


	10. Chapter 10

**_One Year Later_ **

As Arturo watched his students leave the classroom he felt that usual longing tug at his heart. He thought back to his days of teaching on his home Earth, the days when he taught the likes of Quinn Mallory, and, much to his chagrin, Conrad Bennish.

Even after two years, he missed his sliding companions dearly. The distance and time did little to change the way he cared for them. He never blamed them for what happened, he knew they hadn’t purposefully abandoned him on this world with the Azure gate bridge.

If anything he felt a great concern for them. He never knew if they made it home, or even worse if his swine of a double harmed any of them. He only hoped they soon realized their mistake and left that scoundrel stranded on some other Earth. At least then he couldn’t harm them or attempt to steal the credit for Mr. Mallory's timer when they did reach home.

He grabbed his briefcase, leaving the classroom, and walking down the school's now empty halls. He at first attempted to use Azure Quinns sliding technology to build his own timer, but unfortunately could not make a functioning model. After months of failed attempts he resigned to the fact he would never see his sliding family again, nor his home. Instead, he took on the role of his nefarious double, choosing to live a peaceful life for the rest of his days.

He reached for the exit doors as a familiar voice caught his attention from behind, causing him to spin around in surprise.

"Professor!"

As suddenly as he turned he found himself surrounded by his sliding companions. Each of them attempting to grab him in a tight embrace. Turning to each of them he felt a great deal of shock. How did they find him? Were these doubles? Not if their actions were anything to go by.

As he took in their smiles and fresh tears he couldn't help but smile himself, pulling them into a group hug.

"Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt...you came back for me," he said, dropping formalities and expressing just how happy he was to see each of them.

"Of course we came back for you!" Wade replied, wiping away tears from her eyes. Seeing this he tightened the hug.

"As soon as we found out we took your double we wanted to find you" Rembrandt added.

"But how?" Arturo asked, looking between the three of them. As he did so Quinn smiled, pulling out a flat-screen device from his pocket and offering it to Arturo.

"Check this out, professor. We call it the Network Timer" Quinn replied, tapping the screen a few times to show the professor how it works.

"This is remarkable! Did you build this?" Arturo asked, voice filled with surprise.

"No, I didn't. You see, while we were sliding, both in the hopes of finding home and finding you, we met one of my doubles. He had a brother who traveled with him named Colin. The two of them work with a network of sliders who track down lost sliders and help them find home"

"Really? A sliding network?" Arturo asked, astonished.

Quinn nodded, "yeah. Apparently, a few years ago they formed to protect the multiverse from a mad scientist named Geiger. He caused fractures in reality, which they were able to repair. Now they commit their resources to helping others. According to my double he, his brother, and his Arturo work with the network. They even offered me to join."

"What did you say?" Arturo asked.

"I said yes. There are a countless number of sliders lost from home or separated from their friends who need our help. I know how that feels, I want to help them." Quinn replied.

With a proud smile, Arturo placed a hand on his prized pupil's shoulder.

"Likewise, Mr. Mallory, likewise."

* * *

"Have a pleasant trip, Mr. Mallory?" Arturo asked once Quinn and Colin exited the vortex. The three were in the familiar San Francisco basement where their journey began, now filled with the highly advanced sliding equipment known to the sliding network.

"It went well. We reunited a group of sliders who mistakenly left your double behind on a close alternate to Azure world" Quinn replied, getting up from the couch he and his brother landed on.

He approached his computer, leaning over and typing in the necessary commands to download the new coordinates he received upon landing on the close Azure world alternate. He and the rest of the network had been collecting coordinates and creating a Multiversal map, making it easier for all network sliders to travel when needed.

Using this map the network would bring medicines to worlds ravaged by disease. They would bring food, water, and other resources to worlds in desperate need of supplies. They even used it for simple travel, or for research.

Much to Quinn’s delight, even after a year of searching the network could not find the Kromaggs anywhere in the multiverse. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized they did not survive the reset.

"Has Rembrandt arrived yet?" Colin asked, knowing the Cryin man agreed to visit this evening for dinner. The five of them continued to meet up quite frequently since they returned home, refusing to break up the small family they became due to their adventures.

"Mrs. Mallory, Mr. Brown, and your mother are upstairs. It would seem Mrs. Mallory's pregnancy cravings are getting worse. I can hardly consider what I saw on her plate food" Arturo answered, a look of disgust crossing his features for a moment. Quinn and Colin both laughed at that.

"Come on, I'm sure they're waiting for us. Let's go"

As the three men entered the kitchen they found Rembrandt, Wade, and Amanda waiting for them, all of which turned to them with a smile.

Years ago Quinn Mallory invented the timer, a device he originally viewed as a mistake. It got him and his friends lost in the multiverse, even got some of them killed. He never imagined things could end this way, but looking between each of them he couldn't deny the truth.

Sliding brought them together, made them a family. It was something Quinn would be eternally grateful for. Because of sliding, he has a father figure in Arturo. Because of sliding, he has a brother in Colin, a close and trusted friend in Rembrandt. Because of sliding he and Wade were now married.

Looking to Wade's stomach he reached over to place his hand against it. As he did he felt a kick, his smile growing bigger as he felt the small life inside her.

Because of sliding, he would soon be a father. He couldn't wait to bring little Michael Mallory into the world and tell him all about his adventures. Looking up and around the table once more he knew his child was blessed to be born into this wonderful family. His family.

**_Sliders_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed Fracture, it was a thrill to write.
> 
> A special thanks to Classchic1, you've reviewed many of my Sliders fics and I greatly appreciate your input. Thank you for the kind words, they have been a big factor in my continued writing.


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